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Friday, November 1, 2013

I would like to add a couple more ideas to the tutorial described in my previous two posts (below).

As you can see, in this tutorial I explained how to use a lever paper punch to create a custom stencil for embossed design. However, you may also use commercially-available stencils. Please refer to the picture below. To obtain this design, I used two plastic stencils - one of them is for a letter and the second one is for a decorative corner.

Please note that a better (deeper) design may be obtained when a thicker stencil is used. The design created with a thin stencil is more shallow and less visible.

Here is another idea: to create your own pattern, cut a stencil out of a thick paper.

I decided to make a rather complicated stencil, with two trees (see below). After sketching the trees, I cut them out with an X-acto knife. I can now use the obtained silhouettes of the trees to make an impression in my clay in the shape of these trees. However, if I want to have these trees embossed in polymer clay, I will have to collect all the little cutouts of the spaces between the tree branches and glue them onto a separate piece of paper.

Too bad I cannot show you this design finished in polymer clay since I am still away from my studio... You will have to use your imagination and experiment a little bit to use this approach.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Look for the first part of this free polymer clay tutorial in my previous post.

Following the steps described in the first part of this tutorial, you made and baked a polymer clay veneer with embossed and impressed design.

Your next step is to sand the edges of this veneer with a piece of relatively rough sandpaper (100 grit or similar).

Below are the pictures of the polymer clay veneer edge before and after sanding.

At this point the obtained polymer clay veneer may be used to decorate the notebook cover. However, if you would like to highlight the design with acrylic paint, it could be done in one of the two ways described below.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

In this free polymer clay tutorial, I will show you how to create an embossed effect in polymer clay
using stencils.These stencils can be
made out of paper or plastic, handmade or commercially-produced.

While the techniques explained in this tutorial
may be used to decorate many objects (including jewelry), I decided to
demonstrate their use for transferring a plain and inexpensive journal into a
beautiful hand-made gift.

First of all, you will need a blank journal
to decorate.The ones I am using in this
tutorial can be found in most craft stores (particularly, in Michael's) for
about a dolar or so.A journal like this is
held together by a spiral, which can be easily removed to take the journal
apart.

Open the journal and rotate the spirals so that one cover could be removed, and then another.

You may have to gently pry open each loop as you free them up one by one.

Spray-paint the covers.

This is better to be done outside. Cover the ground with old newspapers, place both covers side by side on the newspaper and spray them evenly.

Note: I recommend doing this step before you start working on your polymer clay veneer to give the paint enough time to dry.

For this project, you will also need a lever paper punch, such as the one shown in the picture. These punches are available in every major craft store for about $4 each.

Besides snowflakes, you may find punches with a butterfly, leaf, heart, and other designs.

Prepare a card stock paper template for
the polymer clay veneer and then use the lever punch to make decorative
holes in this template.Save the cutouts.

Please note that due to the design of these
punches, you will be able to make decorative holes no father than about 1” from
the side of the template.Plan your
designs accordingly to this limitation.

When you will press the obtained
template into a sheet of polymer clay, the holes in the template will make embossed
(raised) designs.The cutouts glued to
the template will make impressions in the clay.

Use just enough clay to attach the
cutouts and do not allow the clay to show around the sides of the cutouts.Wipe off any access of glue right away.

Set the template aside.

Condition polymer clay and roll it out
into a sheet bigger than your template and about 2 mm thick.

Please refer to the page on my web site
How to Condition Polymer Clay if you need additional instructions:

Transfer the obtained sheet of clay
onto a smooth ceramic or glass tile on which you are planning to bake it.

This step has to be done slowly and
carefully to avoid trapping any air under your polymer clay sheet. Air bubbles expending during baking may
cause unwanted bumps on a polymer clay sheet.

To prevent this process, lay the clay sheet on
the baking surface starting from one of its shorter ends and simultaneously use
your roller to squeeze out any air from underneath it.

Place the template on top of the polymer clay sheet so that the side with the glued-on cutouts faces the clay. Roll it over with an acrylic roller.

Press the paper template hard into the clay using a roller or a brayer to make sure that you get a nice and clean design.

Carefully lift off
the paper template to reveal the obtained design.

If any of the cutouts get stuck in the clay, you may carefully peel it off using a needle.

Note: If you ever decide to use this technique in a smaller item (such as a pendant, for example), removing a cutout in a similar situation will be much easier. All you will need to do is to lift the polymer clay pendant and slightly bend it right under the cutout. The paper is stiffer than clay and tends to remain flat, so you will be able to separate it from the clay. For the current project, however, you cannot use this approach, because picking up the whole sheet of clay will most likely distort it; plus you will risk trapping some air under this sheet of clay when you place it back.

Trim off the clay
sheet following the lines impressed into the clay with your template. Use a metal ruler and an X-Acto knife for
this task as shown in the picture above.Bake the obtained polymer clay veneer according to the instructions for the brand of clay used in your project. For additional information about baking polymer clay, please refer to the following page on my web site:http://www.polymertutorials.com/catalog/polymer-clay-baking-tutorial.php
After baking, place the second ceramic or glass tile on top of the polymer clay veneer while it is cooling down. This additional weight on top of the polymer clay veneer will prevent it from warping during the cooling process.

To remove the obtained polymer clay veneer from the baking surface, slide your metal slicer for polymer clay between the polymer clay veneer and the baking surface.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

The most frequent questions I receive are about baking polymer clay. Here is one recent email, for example:

"Hi I purchased polymer clay for the first time probably two years ago,
made very cute pieces for being the first time, and unfortunately
burned them and quit.

I recently started using polymer again.

...after watching
videos and using precautions, even bought parchment paper, used the
toaster oven, kept an eye, and in a fraction of a second noticed a
piece burning.

I found out that it was the tray, it was the toaster tray, regular
metal, like a cookie sheet.
I'm completely disappointed! I wanted to buy an oven specially for
this, but I guess is what I baked them ON.
I've read that glass is a good option too, BUT I'm wondering if
silicon pan could be more useful.

Thanks for your time :) Mari"

Below is a copy of my answer:

"Mari, I am sorry to hear about your struggles with baking your polymer clay pieces. However, I think you are on the right pass, and once you figure this process out, working with polymer will be much more fun. Yes, your metal cookie sheet could be the culprit, and silicon pan could be a better option. I personally prefer ceramic tiles, because I use them both for working with polymer clay and for baking it. It also allows me to avoid any possible distortions that may happen when a raw polymer clay piece is being transferred from the working surface onto the baking sheet.

Here is another idea for you to consider. Very often the ovens are not quite accurate. You may set it up to 270F, while in reality it heats up to 305F, for example. I strongly recommend checking the actual temperature of your oven with a separate thermometer. You can read more about it in my tutorial here:

Sunday, September 8, 2013

I am working on a tutorial for a fun and easy embossing technique for polymer clay. I want to make it with the Holidays vibe and show two or three projects that can be turned into fabulous hand-made gifts.

Friday, August 30, 2013

I like many things about polymer clay. One of them is how easy it is to get matching jewelry for any outfit. I do not remember when was the last time I bought a piece of jewelry - I just make mine from polymer clay.

Here is a necklace and earrings set made to go with my new knitted cardigan. This set is made using one of the techniques described in my tutorial Openwork Bracelets.

Sunday, August 25, 2013

It took me longer than I expected, mostly because I wanted to verify and double-check everything I wrote there.

I did not touch some of these pages for a few years. Found a few surprises. Apparently, Studio clay by Sculpey was discontinued back in 2010. Too bad, I've heard that many people actually liked that clay. I usually do not work with the Sculpey line, so I honestly had no idea that this clay does not exist any more. I still have one package of it from the first Synergy conference...

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Miniature polymer clay food by an Israeli artist Shay Aaron. My son found these pictures and sent me the link. Amazing works, aren't they? It is difficult to believe that this food is not real and that it is made on 1:12 scale...

Friday, August 16, 2013

Every so often I return the idea of featuring the works of other polymer clay artists in my blog, just like I used to do in my blog PolymerClayChameleon.blogspot.com.

When I came across the polymer clay art jewelry pieces by a young Ukrainian artist aleksanta (too bad, I do not know her real name), I just had to share them. She works in different styles, and there are many original and interesting works in her blog, but my favorite are these three:

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

I moved all my craft supplies for sale to my Etsy shop to keep a better track of them. All supplies offered in my shop can be used to make projects described in at least one of my polymer clay tutorials.

In the nearest future, I am planning to start listing lots of extra craft supplies accumulated over the years. Need to make more space in my studio.

Friday, August 9, 2013

The bracelets
are the result of my experiments with hollow
techniques and openwork designs. They are lightweight and airy, but
very durable and sturdy at the same time. I've been wearing them for
more than a couple of months to make sure that they hold to wear and
tear – and they do. I've also received lots of compliments on
them.

The beauty of
this technique is that you are not limited by the six designs
explained in my tutorial, nor do you have to stick to only bracelets.
The same approach can be used to make unique and original beads for
necklaces, earrings, and brooches.

This tutorial has more than 30 pages of instructions with over 90 pictures. Out of curiosity, I counted all of the pictures I took in preparation for this tutorial. It turned out, there were nearly 500 of them!

For one day only, I am offering this tutorial for 20% below its regular price.

Friday, August 2, 2013

It was great - the weather was cooperative all the time, the places we've seen were beautiful, the people we've met were friendly. We drove through New York state to Quebec, then to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and came back to the US through Maine.